The
Gloster Meteor was the Allies' first operational jet fighter.
Designed by George Carter, it first flew in 1943 and commenced
operations on 27 July 1944 with 616 Squadron of the Royal
Air Force (RAF). The Gloster Meteor was not an aerodynamically
advanced aircraft, nor even the world's fastest aircraft on
introduction; its limiting Mach number in a dive was actually
slower than the Spitfire's[citation needed], but George Carter
and his design team at Gloster had succeeded in producing
an effective jet fighter that served the RAF and other air
forces for decades. Meteors saw action with the Royal Australian
Air Force (RAAF) in the Korean War and remained in service
with numerous air forces until the 1970s.
